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Home: Skin Care: Perspiration: Body Odor: Overview

Body Odor: Overview

Body Odor


Sweat controls our body temperature. Sweat is also responsible for body odor. When bacteria reacts with sweat, it produces odor. Similarly pheromones that are emitted by apocrine glands also have an odor. Let us find out how to control excess sweat and control body odor.

Skin Care - How Sweat Produces Odor?
Eccrine sweat is produced by eccrine sweat glands that are distributed all over the body. This sweat is mainly water with very small amounts of salt, sugar, urea and is odorless. As this sweat appears on the skin surface, it softens the epidermal keratin producing smell as a result. Bacteria feed upon the keratin and sweat and produce odor.

In other areas of the body, such as armpits, the skin is folded and moist and warm. It is an ideal place for bacteria to feed upon sweat and produce odor. Apocrine glands are mainly located around areas such as scalp, groin, and armpits. They produce fatty sweat with pheromones. Bacteria again breaks down this sweat and the result is bad odor. The excess of sweat and/or bacteria can produce more body odor. The obvious solution to body odor is therefore - reduction or drying of excess sweat as soon as possible and keeping the skin free of bacteria. Note that if you have any yeast infection, it can worsen the odor.

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